NESTA News – April 2007
In this issue:
State of the Fitness Industry - Spring of 2007
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In the United States, there are currently 29,069 health clubs. Out of these 29,069 clubs, the average health club member (41.3 million in total) only utilizes their membership an average of 92 days out of the year. That is about one out of every four days. Could they be pursuing activity elsewhere?
Perhaps. But considering the latest research from the American College of Sports Medicine showing that 3.75 hours of exercise per week are recommended in order to avoid a greatly increased likelihood of diabetes, obesity, heart condition, or metabolic disease as we enter middle age, 92 days does not seem nearly enough. Keep in mind, however, that this is the highest average club member usage (except for 2001 which was 93 days per year) in the past 20 years.
Although people seem to be “attending” their clubs equally or more often as in the past, the general health of our nation is at stake with only four states in the entire United States with 20% or fewer obese individuals (Hawaii, New York, Colorado and Connecticut). The remaining 46 states have been determined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to have a 20-35% obesity rate. Individuals are determined to be obese, according to the CDC, if they have a Body Mass Index (BMI – a calculation using variables of weight and height) of greater than 30. So what can we, as sports & fitness professionals, do?
While the answer is simple – get people to move more and change their lifestyle habits – the process is not. A large number of people in the United States have chosen lifestyles and habits that contribute to obesity, poor health, and eventual disease. The only way we can help these people is by helping them to find the benefits and enjoyment of exercise. However, fun is not enough. We must be professionally competent as well. A professional fitness trainer’s foundation includes a combination of anecdotal evidence (personal experience), peer advisement, and professional education. NESTA is ensuring its recognition as a professional educator through pursuit of NCCA (National Commission for Certifying Agencies) accreditation as recommended by the International Health & Racquet Club Association (IHRSA). NCCA accreditation recognizes the validity of the certification exam and the financial stability of the certification granting institution. At this point in time, there is no recognized and accepted accrediting body that validates educational programs in the personal fitness training certification industry.
The average personal fitness trainer with 1-3 years experience currently makes less than $30,000 per year (according to IHRSA research). The next few years are not a lot better as trainers with 4-7 years experience still average less than $40,000 per year. The average trainer rarely lasts beyond the first 3-6 months as a certified personal fitness trainer before becoming discouraged and seeking other jobs or career choices. The professionals who take the time to devote one hour per day of self-study to achieve more certifications, read research, attend workshops, and understand the business of fitness are the individuals who attain a professional income of $50,000 or much more. Dedicate yourself to this hour of study and you will see your income double and you will help more people. After all, that is why you are in this industry isn’t it?
For more information and research visit www.ihrsa.org or www.cdc.gov |
NESTA Program of the month – Fitness Nutrition Coach
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Nutrition and training are like the two wheels of a bicycle; you cannot be ultimately successful if only one wheel is spinning. Fortunately, it is within the scope of practice for personal fitness trainers and other fitness professionals who possess fundamental nutrient knowledge to address questions and concerns their client may have. Moreover, it is impossible to assist someone in reaching a health or fitness goal, no matter how small or large, without addressing both exercise and nutritional components. Therefore, it is imperative for fitness professionals to become as familiar with nutrition as they are with training. It is also important to recognize more complicated nutritional issues and know when to refer, whom to refer to, and how to refer your clients. |
By completing the NESTA Fitness Nutrition Coach, you are gaining an important knowledge base of various components of nutrition to help you increase your knowledge of nutrition principles and translate this knowledge into practical advice for clients and other physically active people.
Completion of the Fitness Nutrition Coach course and reading the associated text will help fitness professionals address basic client questions and concerns regarding nutrition. This information can be useful to dispel common myths and fallacies associated with nutrition and make general recommendations to support healthy behaviors in clients.
Order your Fitness Nutrition Coach program today, and perhaps you will be able to fulfill the missing component in your clients’ training programs. http://www.nestacertified.com/nutritionist.html
NESTA Business Tip – Get a Mentor , or Become One
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In this world, it has often been said, there are those who teach and those who do. A good teacher is successful and can teach others how to find their own success. These teachers are hard to find, and in the fitness field, we often refer to them as mentors. If you are new to the field of training or have been training for months or years with variable success, you owe it to yourself to find a mentor. |
They could be at the local gym. You might find them in the yellow pages or on the web. And you may run into them outside while running or biking. If you are fortunate, they will help you out of the goodness of their heart. But don’t be surprised if they expect you to pay a fee.
Professionals who make good mentors understand the work that it takes to be successful, have not been handed their success, and have a keen understanding of what they did to help themselves be successful. How much would you pay someone who could guarantee that you would go from 10-15 client/training sessions per week to 25-35 sessions per week or more? Since you expect your clients to pay for your services, you should expect your mentor to do the same. Just as your clients pay a fee for your motivation, guidance and expertise, you will do the same with your mentor. The best things in life may be for free, but those things we’ve had to work the hardest for mean the most. No one has all the answers, but you can’t be surprised if you don’t have the ones you need most. You need a mentor who is objective, is willing to work with you consistently and wants to see you succeed, whether they accept your offer of paying them for their services or not.
Just like you might advise your clients that they will begin to see real results from training with you for 8-12 weeks and 3 times per week (about 24-36 hours of assistance) you should expect a similar time need from your mentor. They are not likely to say a few magic words that send you off forever in Happy Trainerland with more money than you can burn. You are going to have to work hard if you want to avoid being one of those high numbers of fitness professionals who enter the field with great enthusiasm, feeling on top of the world after becoming certified and expecting clients to come in droves, only to find a whole new reality. Your clients have to work hard, why shouldn’t you?
NESTA Training Tip – Continuing Education
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What is it and why do I need it?
Once you have achieved certification, you are required by most certifying agencies to maintain your certification status by obtaining continuing education units (CEUs). CEUs are usually measured in terms of live workshop or distance study hours. |
Ten hours of study would equal 1.0 CEUs and 20 hours would equal 2.0 CEUs. CEUs are obtained by attending workshops, completing distance learning programs, or taking college level content courses that are recognized by a certifying body. If the certifying body does not recognize the course and its content, you may not receive CEUs, or you will have to petition that organization to obtain recognition. With that said, why do you need CEUs? Isn’t certification enough?
In a perfect world, everyone would keep up with their education, continually learn new things and constantly improve their knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) in training and in business practice after becoming certified. The fact is, in cases where CEUs have not been required, few certified professionals have taken the time to complete even one distance learning course, workshop or class per year. Most health professional fields, including medicine and physical therapy, require a specific amount of continuing education coursework in order to maintain licensure. A certification is not a license as it is not granted by the government, but, in order to uphold a level of professional practice and competence, as well as maintain the integrity and meaningfulness of a professional certification, you must complete CEUs to maintain your fitness or sports training certification.
There are far too many fitness and sports professionals who have completed a certification 5-10 years ago, when there was no requirement for recertification and CEUs. They have never taken another course, class or workshop. This is not the conduct of a professional. Trends change every year or two, but scientific research often undergoes significant change every 3-4 years and it is your responsibility, for the safety, health and performance of your clients and athletes, to keep up on the latest research information and analysis. You can do so by subscribing to scientific journals, hiring a fitness or sports professional for yourself, taking college courses, attending workshops and competing distance learning courses. Completing as little as 1.0 recognized CEUs per year may be enough to maintain your certification. But whoever said “maintenance” was enough?
Take the NESTA challenge by comparing our education to anyone else’s. There are a lot of great programs, courses and certifications to be found, but we think you’ll find NESTA courses to increase your KSAs as well or better than anyone. No one else gives you more for your money. If you’d like to pay us more, you are more than welcome to, but in the meantime, take advantage of our “high value” pricing. Taking the NESTA challenge will only improve your research, analytical, and training skills. Your success is up to you! http://www.nestacertified.com/nesta-programs.html
Live Training – NESTA PFT and Continuing Education Workshops
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NESTA live workshops are expanding across the United States. If you do not see a workshop scheduled in your area any time soon, please contact us. In most cases, in order to hold a NESTA workshop there must be at least 40 attendees or the workshop will be postponed to a later date or alternate location. We realize that live, hands-on training, is perhaps the most useful form of training for any professional. Be sure to sign up early as workshops often sell out. Let us know how we can be of greater service to you. Upcoming workshops in an area near you: |
April 28 |
Functional Training Workshop |
San Antonio, TX |
May 19-20 |
Personal Fitness Trainer Workshop |
Irvine, CA |
June 9-10 |
Personal Fitness Trainer Workshop |
Austin, TX |
June 9-10 |
Personal Fitness Trainer Workshop |
San Francisco, CA |
July TBA |
Personal Fitness Trainer Workshop |
Los Angeles, CA |
July TBA |
Personal Fitness Trainer Workshop |
San Diego, CA |
July TBA |
Personal Fitness Trainer Workshop |
New York, NY |
July TBA |
Personal Fitness Trainer Workshop |
Atlanta, GA |
All courses are eligible for NESTA, NASM and ISSA CEUs.
Note: TBA is To Be Announced for exact dates and/or locations to be determined.
Register today! Seating is limited.
